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Bananas to fish scales: fashion's hunt for eco-materials

Bananas to fish scales: fashion's hunt for eco-materials

Sneakers made from banana or pineapple leaves, dresses from nettles or fish scales -- the search for sustainable materials has taken the fashion industry to some wild places.

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Rescuers scour for survivors after Brazil floods, landslides kill 94

Rescuers scour for survivors after Brazil floods, landslides kill 94

Rescue workers raced against the clock Wednesday searching for any remaining survivors among mud and wreckage after devastating flash floods and landslides hit the picturesque Brazilian city of Petropolis, killing at least 94 people.

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Shiffrin poised to pounce for Olympic combined

Shiffrin poised to pounce for Olympic combined

Mikaela Shiffrin was perfectly poised in her bid for an elusive individual Olympic medal at the Beijing Games after posting the fifth fastest downhill time in the women's alpine combined on Thursday.

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Kuwait army allows women in combat roles, but without guns

Kuwait army allows women in combat roles, but without guns

Kuwaiti women are angry after the military, having allowed female soldiers in combat roles, decided they need the permission of a male guardian and banned them from carrying weapons.

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'Battlefield mode': Hong Kong hospitals buckle under Omicron wave

'Battlefield mode': Hong Kong hospitals buckle under Omicron wave

Huddled under blankets and thermal shields, dozens of elderly patients shivered on gurneys outside a hospital serving one of Hong Kong's poorest communities -- a grim tableau for the city as its health system buckles under an Omicron-fuelled coronavirus wave.

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Gu blows away Olympic rivals in freeski halfpipe qualifiers

Gu blows away Olympic rivals in freeski halfpipe qualifiers

Californian-born Chinese sensation Eileen Gu topped qualification for the women's freeski halfpipe at the Beijing Olympics on Thursday, as she aims for her third medal of the Games.

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Henry bags career-best seven as New Zealand roll South Africa for 95

Henry bags career-best seven as New Zealand roll South Africa for 95

Matt Henry celebrated a career-best seven wicket haul as New Zealand rolled South Africa for 95 in their first innings inside two sessions on the opening day of the first Test in Christchurch on Thursday.

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Most Asian markets up as traders eye Ukraine, Fed eases rate fears

Most Asian markets up as traders eye Ukraine, Fed eases rate fears

Asian markets mostly rose Thursday as investors assess the situation in Ukraine after the West said Russia had not started withdrawing troops from its border, while minutes from the Federal Reserve's January meeting eased concerns it was set to hike rates sharply.

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Eleven years since revolt, Libya transition grinds on

Eleven years since revolt, Libya transition grinds on

Libyans on Thursday mark 11 years since the revolt that toppled dictator Moamer Kadhafi, but the democracy many hoped for seems as elusive as ever, and many fear a return to conflict.

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Yellen acknowledges 'some global fallout' from any Russia sanctions

Yellen acknowledges 'some global fallout' from any Russia sanctions

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says "some global fallout" would result if the West moves ahead with the punishing, coordinated sanctions threatened against Russia, should it attack Ukraine.

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